Michael Kendrick became principal of St. Joseph School, 1740 Lake Ave., in July. He took time recently to talk about, among other things, what he loves about Catholic education and St. Joseph’s recent designation as a National Blue Ribbon school by the U.S. Department of Education.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
A: I grew up in Park Ridge and went to Maine South High School. I went to a small liberal arts college in Michigan, Hillsdale College, and got my undergrad degree in math. I came back home, got a desk job in the mortgage industry, and went to North Park University to get my masters of education degree. While I was there, I started teaching at Northridge Prep in Niles. For me even from an early age, I had the idea that I was going to be a teacher. Being a principal was something I didn’t expect … people said you should look at St. Joseph in Wilmette. I can only say it was the Holy Spirit working through a lot of other people.
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Q: What excites you about Catholic education?
A: Catholic schools give you the complete package. We don’t focus just on academics, we focus on character and faith. My goal is to help students be academically excellent, of good character, and loving God. If I can do that, I’m doing my job.
Q: How would you describe the personality of St. Joseph?
A: It’s unique in so many ways. The school started in the 1850s. It has a deep-rooted tradition, but at the same time we’re up to date.
Q: What are you excited about right now?
A: On Nov. 10, we’re going to be celebrating our Blue Ribbon award. We’ll gather the school and community, walk down to Village Hall as a school, and celebrate as a community. This all happened before I came. It’s our teachers who should be congratulated. They worked hard; they and the students deserve this.
Q: Do you have a cause or charity you’d like people to know about?
A: Providing the opportunity of Catholic education for everyone is great. I think programs that help kids get to Catholic schools, that provide need-based aid, are important.
Twitter: @pioneer_kathy
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